Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 114 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 114 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 161 WASHINGTON, MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 No. 44 Senate The Senate met at 3 p.m. and was plicated than it should be. This human Obama’s Attorney General nominee. called to order by the President pro trafficking and child pornography bill President Obama’s Attorney General is tempore (Mr. HATCH). before the Senate has wide bipartisan well qualified and no one questions her f support. Unfortunately, it also includes qualifications. a previously unreported abortion provi- Now Senator MCCONNELL is saying PRAYER sion that has brought us to a screech- the Senate will not confirm Loretta The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- ing halt in this legislation. Lynch until we pass the trafficking fered the following prayer: But there is a quick and very easy so- bill—abortion language and all. Let us pray. lution to this dilemma: Take the abor- Loretta Lynch was nominated by the Eternal God, our conquering King, tion language out of the bill. The Re- President 128 days ago. Since that thank You for providing us with wings publican leadership doesn’t seem to be time, Senate Republicans have found of faith to soar above life’s challenges interested in a solution. reason after reason after reason to and vicissitudes. Empower our law- The Senate Republican leadership is delay her confirmation. First, it was makers to use faith’s wings to live anxious to shut down debate without just wait until the next Congress. In lives that are lofty and laudable. May fixing the problem. We can stand here fact, the Republican leader said last they stand for right and be willing to all week and question how the abortion year: accept the consequences as they strive language got in the legislation. Many Ms. Lynch will receive fair consideration to please You in all that they think, believe it was by sleight of hand, but it by the Senate. And her nomination should be considered in the new Congress through reg- say, and do. Lord, give them the wis- doesn’t matter. It is a fact that Repub- ular order. licans included abortion language in dom to follow Your unfailing guidance, But when this Congress got under- this bill that is completely unrelated seeking to be patient even with dif- way, her nomination had to wait until to human trafficking, and by doing so ficult people. Open their minds to dis- after the Keystone legislation. Every- Republicans turned a bipartisan bill cern Your will as You give them the one will remember it was a bill to con- into a political fight. courage to obey You. struct a massive pipeline to import for- Republican Congressman ERIK PAUL- We pray in Your great Name. Amen. eign oil, only to turn around and ex- f SEN of Minnesota drafted the House port it to other countries. version of the same human trafficking PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Then Ms. Lynch’s nomination had to bill. He wrote the bill. It passed the wait until after a new Defense Sec- The President pro tempore led the House. Even he believes that inclusion retary was confirmed. Then Repub- Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: of the abortion provision in the Senate licans on the Judiciary Committee I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the bill is not appropriate. needed more time and said just one United States of America, and to the Repub- Here is what he said: more week. Then she had to wait until lic for which it stands, one nation under God, There is no reason it should be included in after the February recess. As I said, it indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. these bills. This issue is far too important to has been delay after delay after delay, f tie it up with an unrelated fight with politics and now we are here in the middle of as usual. March and Loretta Lynch has yet to RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY This is his bill, and he says we should LEADER get a vote on the Senate floor. take that language out. He is a Repub- Why can’t we get this incredibly The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. lican. qualified woman confirmed? She has ERNST). The Democratic leader is rec- The path forward is clear: Take the waited 128 days. That is the longest ognized. abortion language out of the bill and any Attorney General has ever waited f we can pass it right now. That is it. in the last four decades. But if hijacking the human traf- As I have said, a vote on the Lynch HUMAN TRAFFICKING LEGISLA- ficking bill with an unrelated abortion nomination has nothing to do with the TION AND LYNCH NOMINATION provision wasn’t already bad enough— trafficking bill and it certainly has Mr. REID. Madam President, Confu- listen to this—the majority leader is nothing to do with abortion. cius said, ‘‘Life is very simple, but we now holding Loretta Lynch’s nomina- The majority leader can choose to insist on making it complicated.’’ That tion hostage too. It is hard to com- keep the Senate stuck on this abortion is true. prehend, but that is what is happening. provision, but he does so at the det- Right now, the Republican Senate Just last Tuesday, the Republican riment of so many other bills that re- leadership is insisting on making a leader gave his word that he would quire the Senate’s attention. The ma- good piece of legislation far more com- bring up a vote this week on President jority leader gave his word that we ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S1511 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:17 Mar 17, 2015 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A16MR6.000 S16MRPT1 emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with SENATE S1512 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 16, 2015 would consider the Lynch nomination years of age. Children are being abused leader to have an up-or-down vote to through regular order, and that has not and literally sexually assaulted while strip the language out that they object happened. He gave his word that we apparently some of our colleagues on to? would vote on confirmation this week, the other side of the aisle have decided Well, despite the hypocrisy of their but now he is hedging on that. There is to try to make a political point. It is position, the question this really boils no reason my friend, the majority lead- baffling because my colleagues have down to is this. This is the question, er, cannot live up to his numerous voted for essentially this very same the only question that really matters: commitments. provision in one form or another time To our colleagues who are filibustering Loretta Lynch’s nomination is on the and time and time again. this legislation, Are you prepared to Executive Calendar, meaning the Sen- Apparently, the Democratic leader, turn your back on the thousands of ate can consider her nomination and who is pressuring Members of his cau- people living every day in bondage and then immediately move back to the cus to filibuster this bill is—well, he who are desperately clinging to the trafficking bill. Any attempt to hold says we need to take out the language hope that someone—someone—will her nomination hostage because of the they object to, but I was standing on lend them a helping hand? Are you pre- abortion provision is a sham. the floor just a few days ago when—I pared to abandon these children and This Congress is barely 2 months old. guess it was Thursday afternoon—the these other victims of human traf- Yet this is just the latest on a growing majority leader, Senator MCCONNELL, ficking who deserve a roof over their list of examples proving Republicans offered them an opportunity to have an head, someone to lean on, and some- simply cannot govern. up-or-down vote to strip that language how, some way to get a fresh start in The American people need a human out of the bill and they objected to it. life? trafficking bill, and the American peo- So it is getting harder and harder to Do our colleagues who are filibus- ple need an Attorney General. Let’s believe the sincerity of their protests, tering this legislation really want to confirm Loretta Lynch as soon as pos- and it is appearing more and more like- play politics with such a sensitive and sible. ly that what they want to do is have vulnerable part of our population over Madam President, what is the busi- the Senate return to the same dysfunc- an issue that some advocates have ness of the day? tional nature it was under for the last called a phantom problem? The reason 4 years by the previous majority. why some advocates who support this f I wish to pose several questions to legislation have called the objection of RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME our colleagues who insist on filibus- the Democratic leader a phantom prob- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under tering this bipartisan piece of legisla- lem is because not only have they the previous order, the leadership time tion. The first question I have is: Isn’t voted for similar provisions over and is reserved. it the case that only 3 months ago 50 over and over again, this essentially Democrats voted for the 2015 Defense has been the settled law of the land for f authorization bill? Isn’t that a bill a 39 years—since 1976.